Long Xiao pondered for a moment and decided to meet Long Meiyan to see what she had to say.
Long Meiyan, in her early fifties, was a woman past her prime. The delicate skin from her beauty treatments, coupled with high-end cosmetics, made her appear much younger.
In a private room at the Lanling Mansion restaurant, Long Meiyan sat confidently opposite Long Xiao, projecting an air of complete control.
"Brother, I genuinely invited you here for your own good," Long Meiyan said with a smile, seeing Long Xiao's displeasure.
"Sister Long, we've never met before, and your invitation was too sudden. It's natural for me to assume you're after this short sword of mine."
Long Meiyan nodded and replied, "I was indeed interested in obtaining this short sword, but I've changed my mind. I've heard about your performance at Old Master Long's birthday banquet. If you can cure my illness, I'll tell you what I know about this short sword."
"This deal seems to benefit me," Long Xiao said with a smile, pouring Long Meiyan some red wine.
"It's a fair trade. Brother Ouyang is immensely wealthy, so you must be a shrewd person. For you, not getting an advantage is a disadvantage."
Long Xiao burst into laughter, raising his wine glass. "I like hearing that. Sister Long is absolutely right, not getting an advantage is a disadvantage."
The meal was pleasant. After eating, Long Meiyan pulled a chair closer to Long Xiao and asked, "Brother, would you like to take my pulse first, or should I show you the diagnostic reports from my hospital examination?"
Long Xiao shook his head and said, "I don't need to see anything. Sister Long, you tell me the story of the short sword first. After you're done, I'll give you a prescription, and after a few days of taking it, your illness will be cured."
"How can you know what's wrong with me without looking?" Long Meiyan asked.
Long Xiao nodded. "It's better not to talk about a woman's illness. Your condition can be treated at any hospital, so why seek me out?"
"Because you're from out of town. After today, you might leave the capital, and I don't want people to know I'm sick."
Long Xiao nodded. "Don't worry, elder sister. I won't tell anyone about today's events."
Long Meiyan asked a waiter to brew some tea. As she sipped her tea, she began to tell Long Xiao the story related to 'Long Yin'.
Legend has it that 'Long Yin' was forged by the master swordsmith Ou Yezi during the Warring States period. This short sword was crafted from meteoric iron and quenched with dragon's blood. When it was brought out of the furnace, dragons were seen soaring in the sky, their roars echoing incessantly, hence the name 'Long Yin'.
The first time 'Long Yin' tasted blood was when an assassin, armed with this short sword, failed in his attempt to assassinate the King of Qin. The King of Qin used this very short sword to sever the assassin's head.
When the Qin Dynasty fell and Xiang Yu burned down Afang Palace, a Mohist disciple hidden in Xianyang braved the flames, retrieved this short sword, and left Xianyang with it.
After a series of transfers, the short sword fell into Lü Bu's hands and became his everyday sword. After Lü Bu's death, 'Long Yin' was kept in the imperial palace and became a collection of Emperor Wu of Wei.
During the chaotic Sixteen Kingdoms period in the north, an assassin obtained 'Long Yin', and many prominent figures of the Southern and Northern Dynasties met their end by this short sword.
In his later years, the assassin became a monk and lived alone by West Lake, using his life's savings to build a temple, which he named Hanshan Temple.
The assassin took in eight disciples in his twilight years, all of whom later became renowned assassins for the various kingdoms of the Southern Dynasties. Thus, the assassin organization 'Hanshan Temple' began to emerge.
Throughout the dynasties, 'Long Yin' was considered a sacred artifact of 'Hanshan Temple', and the abbot of 'Hanshan Temple' was the keeper of 'Long Yin'.
Over four hundred years ago, the Tungus people dominated northeastern China and then moved south to occupy much of its territory. The abbot of 'Hanshan Temple' accepted a mission to retrieve Huang Taiji's head for a thousand jin of gold.
Long Xiao, hearing Long Meiyan say Huang Taiji's head was worth a thousand jin of gold, thought to himself, I wonder how much my own head would fetch.
"Was it someone from 'Hanshan Temple' who killed Huang Taiji?" Long Xiao asked.
Long Meiyan shook her head. "Huang Taiji is dead, but they didn't kill him. The abbot and his men were ambushed and killed by the employer for failing to complete the mission after taking the gold. They never returned to Hanshan Temple, and since then, 'Long Yin' has been missing."
Long Xiao took 'Long Yin' out of his pocket. Holding it, he could clearly feel the metallic energy contained within. He couldn't absorb this energy himself, but it could quickly communicate with the metallic energy within his body.
'Long Yin' was only a foot long. The scabbard was ancient but intact, with some black residue clinging to it, from which a faint scent of blood could be detected.
The rusty short sword, when drawn, suggested it might have been buried in the earth for a long time.
"May I see it?" Long Meiyan asked softly.
Long Xiao handed the short sword and scabbard to Long Meiyan. The moment Long Meiyan held 'Long Yin', Long Xiao noticed a flash of white light from 'Long Yin' before it disappeared.
'Long Yin' would only emit white light when enveloped in metallic energy and successfully communicating with it.
Since obtaining the "Dragon Treasury" until now, aside from the monster Xiao Ming, Long Meiyan was the only person Long Xiao had encountered who could project true energy externally. On the surface, Long Meiyan appeared to be an ordinary noblewoman, but he hadn't expected her to be so skilled.
Projecting true energy externally required immensely powerful true energy. Long Xiao, with the foundation of ancestral true energy bestowed upon him by the "Dragon Treasury" and possessing special cultivation techniques that allowed him to absorb the life force from nature, had accumulated a large amount of Five Elements True Energy.
While true energy and ordinary vital energy were fundamentally the same, true energy was vital energy that had undergone countless compressions and purifications. This kind of energy contained immense power and was the basis for cultivation.
Long Meiyan examined 'Long Yin' back and forth several times. A look of disappointment crossed her face, and she returned the short sword in its scabbard to Long Xiao.
Long Xiao put 'Long Yin' back into his pocket and asked, "Does 'Hanshan Temple' still exist?"
Long Meiyan nodded. "Yes, 'Hanshan Temple' still exists. With the reappearance of 'Long Yin', the people of 'Hanshan Temple' will surely come looking for it. Additionally, anyone else who knows about 'Long Yin' will also be searching."
Long Xiao, wanting to create an excuse for producing 'Long Yin' in the future, said, "It seems I won't be able to keep this short sword. At worst, I'll find an opportunity to sell it for a high price."
Long Meiyan smiled. "Don't look at me; I won't buy it. It's very likely that assassins from 'Hanshan Temple' are already in the capital, searching for you."
"If they find me, I'll sell it to them, but the price will be doubled. Not getting an advantage is a disadvantage."
Long Meiyan giggled. "That certainly fits your style. Good luck, brother."
After chatting with Long Meiyan, Long Xiao asked the waiter for paper and pen and wrote a prescription for her.
It was a simple ancient prescription for conditioning the spleen and stomach. Long Xiao felt that this Long Meiyan was not the same person as the Long Meiyan he had met at the auction house.
Although their appearance, dress, and manner of speaking were identical, there was a subtle difference in their demeanor.